Basal metabolism in tropical birds: latitude, altitude, and the ‘pace of life’

Londoño, Gustavo A.; Chappell, Mark A.; Castañeda, María del Rosario; Jankowski, Jill E.; Robinson, Scott K.

doi:10.1111/1365-2435.12348

Cited by 125 publications

(149 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(174 reference statements)

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“…BMR for additional species were obtained from Londoño et al (2015). To avoid confounding analyses, we excluded the Australian species from that study that we had measured ourselves (N=9).…”

Section: Literature and Unpublished Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…with 'nlme' (Pinheiro et al 2013). We evaluated five models of evolution for the correlation structure (Londoño et al 2015;Revell 2010;Blomberg et al 2003;Grafen 1989;Martins & Hansen 1997 Since the use of phylogenetically-aware statistical models remains controversial (McNab 2015) we also performed conventional analyses (ordinary least squares; OLS), using JMP Pro 11…”

Section: Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 519 bird species (40 Australian passerines plus data from 5 datasets in Londoño et al 2015), OLS ANCOVA found significantly lower BMR in tropical than in temperate species (F 1,517 = 9.36; P = 0.0023), significantly higher BMR in passerines than in non-passerines, a significant effect of dataset (F 5,513 = 9.68, P <0.0001), a significant dataset X M b interaction (F 5,513 = 6.90, P= 0.0001), but no M b X latitude or M b X order interactions (F 1,517 = 1.60, P = 0.21…”

Section: Temperate/tropical and Passerine/non-passerine Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adults from a sedentary tropical population had lower metabolic rates than birds from a migratory north-temperate population. Similarly, two extensive comparative analyses showed that birds from Neotropical forests in Panama and Peru have lower BMR (Wiersma et al 2007b;Londoño et al 2015) and, in the Panamanian birds, lower maximal metabolic rates than species from temperate latitudes (Wiersma et al 2007a). Given that tropical birds have smaller clutches, longer parental care, and higher juvenile and adult survival than their north-temperate counterparts [Moreau 1944;Skutch 1985;Martin 1996;Cardillo 2002;Russell et al 2004)], these studies support the notion that a slow 'pace of life' engenders a slow 'pace' of energy metabolism (e.g., Pearl 1928).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…To verify the postulated 'slow-fast' contrast in life history of our study species, we used published information on clutch size and maximum lifespan. To place our findings in a broader context, we compared our results to a global database of almost 500 temperate and tropical bird species (Londoño et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A ‘slow pace of life’ in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates

et al. 2016

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. (2016). A 'slow pace of life' in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates. Journal of Comparative Physiology B: biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology, 186 (4), 503-512. A ' slow pace of life' in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates AbstractLife history theory suggests that species experiencing high extrinsic mortality rates allocate more resources toward reproduction relative to self-maintenance and reach maturity earlier ('fast pace of life') than those having greater life expectancy and reproducing at a lower rate ('slow pace of life'). Among birds, many studies have shown that tropical species have a slower pace of life than temperate-breeding species. The pace of life has been hypothesized to affect metabolism and, as predicted, tropical birds have lower basal metabolic rates (BMR) than temperate-breeding birds. However, many temperate-breeding Australian passerines belong to lineages that evolved in Australia and share 'slow' life-history traits that are typical of tropical birds. We obtained BMR from 30 of these 'old-endemics' and ten sympatric species of more recently arrived passerine lineages (derived from Afro-Asian origins or introduced by Europeans) with 'faster' life histories. The BMR of 'slow' temperate-breeding old-endemics was indistinguishable from that of new-arrivals and was not lower than the BMR of 'fast' temperate-breeding non-Australian passerines. Old-endemics had substantially smaller clutches and longer maximal life spans in the wild than new arrivals, but neither clutch size nor maximum life span was correlated with BMR. Our results suggest that low BMR in tropical birds is not functionally linked to their 'slow pace of life' and instead may be a consequence of differences in annual thermal conditions experienced by tropical versus temperate species.

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Section: Literature and Unpublished Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Temperate/tropical and Passerine/non-passerine Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A ‘slow pace of life’ in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates

et al. 2016

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Breath rate of passerines across an urbanization gradient supports the pace‐of‐life hypothesis and suggests diet‐mediated responses to handling stress

Liang

Luo

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The pace‐of‐life hypothesis predicts no impact of urbanization on stress responses. Accordingly, several studies have been inconsistent in showing differences in breath rate (BR), a proxy of acute stress responses to handling in passerines, between rural and urban areas. However, this evidence is limited to a single bird species and a limited geographic region (SW Europe). No study addressed whether this pattern is also apparent in other species or regions, such as in tropical environments, or whether it is dependent on the level of diet specialization, given that diet restriction and change influence stress responses. Here, we tested whether there were differences in BR between habitats and diet groups using eight highly diverse passerine assemblages experiencing different levels of anthropogenic disturbance (i.e., natural, rural, and urban locations) in SW China. We predicted that insectivores and herbivores (frugivores, nectarivores, and seed‐eating species) would show higher BR than omnivores. We also predicted no differences in BR among habitat types. BR was a moderately repeatable trait, which showed a negative relationship with body mass and a positive relationship with the time of the day. We also recorded a relatively strong phylogenetic bias in the expression of this trait. Confirming our predictions, our results showed no differences in BR among natural, rural, and urban locations. Similarly, within species, there were no differences in BR between rural and urban locations. However, we also found that herbivores showed higher BR than omnivores. Overall, our results provide support to the pace‐of‐life hypothesis, but suggest acute stress responses can be diet‐mediated, which may help to explain the marked decline of specialized trophic guilds around the world in response to anthropogenic disturbance.

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Limited heat tolerance in an Arctic passerine: Thermoregulatory implications for cold‐specialized birds in a rapidly warming world

O’Connor

Pogam

Young

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Arctic animals inhabit some of the coldest environments on the planet and have evolved physiological mechanisms for minimizing heat loss under extreme cold. However, the Arctic is warming faster than the global average and how well Arctic animals tolerate even moderately high air temperatures (Ta) is unknown. Using flow‐through respirometry, we investigated the heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity of snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis; ≈31 g, N = 42), a cold specialist, Arctic songbird. We exposed buntings to increasing Ta and measured body temperature (Tb), resting metabolic rate (RMR), rates of evaporative water loss (EWL), and evaporative cooling efficiency (the ratio of evaporative heat loss to metabolic heat production). Buntings had an average (±SD) Tb of 41.3 ± 0.2°C at thermoneutral Ta and increased Tb to a maximum of 43.5 ± 0.3°C. Buntings started panting at Ta of 33.2 ± 1.7°C, with rapid increases in EWL starting at Ta = 34.6°C, meaning they experienced heat stress when air temperatures were well below their body temperature. Maximum rates of EWL were only 2.9× baseline rates at thermoneutral Ta, a markedly lower increase than seen in more heat‐tolerant arid‐zone species (e.g., ≥4.7× baseline rates). Heat‐stressed buntings also had low evaporative cooling efficiencies, with 95% of individuals unable to evaporatively dissipate an amount of heat equivalent to their own metabolic heat production. Our results suggest that buntings’ well‐developed cold tolerance may come at the cost of reduced heat tolerance. As the Arctic warms, and this and other species experience increased periods of heat stress, a limited capacity for evaporative cooling may force birds to increasingly rely on behavioral thermoregulation, such as minimizing activity, at the expense of diminished performance or reproductive investment.

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Basal metabolism in tropical birds: latitude, altitude, and the ‘pace of life’

Cited by 125 publications

References 69 publications

A ‘slow pace of life’ in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates

A ‘slow pace of life’ in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates

Breath rate of passerines across an urbanization gradient supports the pace‐of‐life hypothesis and suggests diet‐mediated responses to handling stress

Limited heat tolerance in an Arctic passerine: Thermoregulatory implications for cold‐specialized birds in a rapidly warming world

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